Japanese Society and Culture

Symbols of National Identity: Japan’s Flag Hinomaru

Japan’s National Anthem: Kimigayo

Population Size

• 127.6 million (October 2003)

• ninth largest national population in the world

• 2.1% of the world’s population

• projected to decline: 104 million by 2025

Japan’s Rank in World Population

Core Japanese Values and Behaviours

Group Consciousness “A protruding nail gets pounded down”

– Be part of the group ( family, work/school, team, community, “Japanese”)

• reflected in definition of “Japanese”, architecture, language, non-verbal communication, dress (uniforms!), and group activities

– Reciprocity– Avoid confrontation– “Culture of shame”

Core Japanese Values and Behaviours

Respect – for Authority

• low crime rate

– for Traditions • traditional dress, ancient celebrations, “national

treasures”

– for Hierarchy • deference to the elderly and authority figures• language and non-verbal communication• “modesty”: ‘Nani mo arimassen ga’ (It’s nothing but. . .)

Core Japanese Values and Behaviour

Achieve (or at least endure)“Ganbaru” and “Ganbatte!”(Carry through with your task, put up with

difficulties and strive to overcome all hardships)-Be disciplined-Work hard-Persist-Don’t let down the group-Don’t complain

Minority Groups in Japan

• Ainu (less than 0.05% of population)

• Koreans (about 0.5% of population)

• Okinawans (about 1% of population)

• Burakumin (about 2% of population)

• An Emerging Minority Group?: Foreign Workers ( about 1.5% of labour force)

Demographic Trends in Japan : Like Canada, Japan has:

• Delayed Marriage

• Delayed Motherhood

• Declining Household/Family Size

• Declining Population Growth

• Challenge of Caring for the Elderly

Delayed Marriage(Especially Among Women)

Delayed Marriage

Increasing mean age at first marriage:

29.4 for men, 27.6 women (2003)

Most noticeable among women: of females under 16 today, 1 in 7 will be single lifelong

Why delayed marriage for women?

• higher levels of education

• higher commitment to labour force and increased opportunity for employment

• Is remaining single a viable (or even an appealing) option for Japanese women?

• Divorce is very rare!

Women as Percentage of Japan’s Labour Force

Female Labour Force by Marital Status

Sex Differences in Domestic Labour

Delayed Motherhood

Aging First Time Mothers

Declining Household Size: (Average Household Size: 2.67 persons)

Declining Population Growth

Caring for the Elderly

• declining dependency ratio• rising age to collect national pensions• more seniors remaining at work after 60• more employed women• more elderly living at home alone or in

couples (these households increased 37%, 1995-2000)

• more home care services to care for frail elderly and “old old”

Education in Japan

Japan’s Education System

• one to three years of private kindergarten • compulsory free public education beginning at 6

years of age: six years of elementary and three years of junior high school

• juku (“ cram schools”) to prepare for entrance exams to high school, college and university

• higher education choices: two or three year junior college, five or six year technical college, four-year university or six year professional (e.g. medicine, dentistry) programs

• graduate (masters, doctorate) degree programs

Employment in Japan

Employment by Industry

Labour Force by Sex and Age

Sex-Typed Employment

• about two-thirds of Japanese women work in clerical positions

• men are employed across a broader range of industries, occupations and levels of authority

• women (especially middle-aged or older) are more likely to work part-time/casually

Sex Segregation: Female “Flowers of the Office” and “Tea Ladies” Work

for Male Managers

Salaries in Japan

• Average salary (2003): 342,000 yen/month– 279,000 yen in "contractual wages"

plus 63,000 yen in "special wages" (overtime, two annual bonuses annual, wedding gifts)

• Salaries are determined by occupation, size of firm, tenure with employer, age and sex

Less Time at Work

• Steady decline in time spent at work since 1988

• In 2003, the average worker worked:

19.7 days per month and

152.3 hours per month

(about the same as American workers)

Less Time at Work Means. . .

More Time for Leisure

Sports are Popular!

Popular Culture

Popular Leisure Activities

• Reading• Karaoke• Watching Television• Playing Video Games (children and teens)• Surfing the Net (teens and young adults)• Gardening (older people)• Travel (especially for young women)• Gambling, especially pachinko and betting on

horse races, which generate over one-third of all leisure revenues

Feeling lost in all this culture? You can always ask for help. . .